Figures suggest 10% of the population in US are atheists but they make up only 0.02% of the prison population?

Question

Do atheists simply make better citizens than theists?

Reply to Lilith: no make that 0.02%...that's much better than you thought.

Reply to gratvol:
Atheism under a tyrannical dictator is not really a measure of the worth of atheism..what you are really looking at there are countries under the control of corrupt mad-men.

Answer 1

Having served in prison ministry, I can tell you that the church within the walls of prison is generally more genuine than the one on the outside. It is quite refreshing actually.

The inmates can't leave church and then take off their "church face" and act "normal." The Christian inmate has to live out his faith or be branded a hypocrite. Unbelieving inmates do not tolerate hypocrisy very well. Whatever label you put on yourself must be lived out. If you're a gang-banger, then you'd better live it out. If you're a skinhead, you'd better live it out. If you don't, you might wake up with injuries.

And not all states have parole boards for all inmates. In many cases, it is only those who serve life terms that have parole boards. The rest of them serve their time and are automatically paroled.

The inmate in a prison is the most conscious of his sin. He has been judged by society and found wanting. When locked up, they know that they are sinners. Many are quite willing to hear the Gospel, and quite a few of them will convert, knowing that they can be forgiven.

Are there some who pretend, and are doing it for show? Absolutely. But then again, it is hard for them to live it for long, without being exposed as a fake.

Just something to think about.

Answer 2

How many were atheists before prison? Prison is good place to realize your place in the world and help recognize that there is a God. I wonder how many convert after arriving there?

Also, not being an atheist doesn't necessarily make you a theist because you can also be agnostic. I can picture many stereotypical inmates being more likely agnostic rather than atheist.

Also, realize that recognizing there is a God doesn't mean that you won't do wrong. Jesus came to this world for the sinners, not for the righteous--just like sick people are the ones who need a doctor.

Answer 3

Obviously, we're all really cunning and clever, and we get away with our crimes.

That, or we do the right thing because we want to do the right thing, not because some deity tells us to do something. One of the great frauds of the religious apologetics movement is the outright lie that religious people have more of a moral foundation than atheists. That's just bogus.

See, I try to do the right thing because it's the right thing and because I like living in a civil society.

A religious person does the right thing because she fears hell. How moral is that?

Or a religious person does the right thing because God is supposedly a neat guy. Hero worship? There's a foundation for you.

Maybe a religious person does the right thing just because a preacher says to. That person is a foundationless sheep.

Maybe a religious person does the right thing in order to go to heaven. That's just greed.

Or, maybe a religious person does the right thing in order to do the right thing. Then, what's the difference between a religious person's motivation and that of an atheist?

Answer 4

No, they just tend to have higher educations and don't need to engage in illegal activities to make money. I imagine that 0.02% figure is probably close to the percentage of atheists in people who are poor or high-school dropouts.

Plus, if there's ever a time you need God to get you through, it's in prison. I'm betting there's plenty of people who find Jesus in prison. They're being ministered to pretty heavily.

Answer 5

I think that you might want to look at the study on intelligence in prison as well. I'm not saying all religious people are less intelligent, but at the same time, there are more average intelligent people than more intelligent people. You do the math. On the other hand, a lot of people only turn to the belief in God out of fear in dangerous situations.

Answer 6

They think more, and follow less. So, inherently they are using more of their brains and they probably actually value life more. They realise that you get one shot at this life, and they dont' want to mess it up. Also, since they don't believe in God, their creed and morals are based on what they ACTUALLY believe to be true in their hearts - not just what some book tells them. Therefore, they don't think they can go kill someone and just ask for forgiveness later and still go to heaven.

For the most part, the athiests I know are some of the most un-hypocrytical people alive. Because they actually LIVE what they believe.

Answer 7

What difference does that make? You don't have to be an atheist to be an idiot! Besides, "Christians" who break the law aren't Christian, for they have failed God in where it says, "Obey the ordinances of the land for the Lord's sake." If they've broken the law and have been put in jail, they need forgiveness before they can become Christian again in the truest sense of the word.

Answer 8

No. They're still living out their dillusions that there is no Christ. In regard to the prisoners...when you have nothing else there IS nothing else but you and God. When you clean all of the debris out of a pool you're left with two things: pool & water. It's a simple as that. When you clean the junk, people, sin, and distractions out of your life, you're left with two things: you & God. Then it's not a matter of whether or not you believe...it's a matter of whether or not you choose to live in denial.

Answer 9

Personally, I'm careful not to draw conclusions from those numbers. There are incentives for atheists in prison to lie and claim to be Christians.

Answer 10

The other possibility is that young black men are claiming to be Christian, instead of atheist.

Stay in school, stay out of trouble, don't idolize prison culture -- paraphrased and summarized from Bill Cosby.